Genesis 40:9

THE BUTLER'S DREAM. (Gen 40:9-15)

In my dream, behold, a vine was before me--The visionary scene described seems to represent the king as taking exercise and attended by his butler, who gave him a cooling draught. On all occasions, the kings of ancient Egypt were required to practice temperance in the use of wine [WILKINSON]; but in this scene, it is a prepared beverage he is drinking, probably the sherbet of the present day. Everything was done in the king's presence--the cup was washed, the juice of the grapes pressed into it; and it was then handed to him--not grasped; but lightly resting on the tips of the fingers.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Gen 40:9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine [was] before me;

Ver. 9. Behold, a vine was before me.] God, of his infinite grace and wisdom, gives men such signs as excellently answer and agree to the thing thereby signified; those two sacraments of the New Testament, for instance; which the Greek fathers (in the apostle’s sense, Heb 9:24) call αντιτυπα, signs and symbols of better things, signified and sealed up thereby to the believer. The Lord, saith venerable Beza, knowing well the vanity of our natures, prone to idolatry, hath appointed us two sacraments only; and those consisting also of most simple signs and rites. For signs, he gave us water, bread, and wine. The rites are no more than to sprinkle, eat, drink (things of most common use); and a very little of these too, that men may not too much doat on the elements, or external acts in the sacrament, but be wholly raised up to the mystery, and by faith mount up to Christ thereby set forth and exhibited - fetching him down, as it were, that we may feed on him. Hence the outward sign is no further used than may serve to mind us of the inward grace. {a} The minister also stirs up the people to look higher than to what they see, with Sursum corda; Lift up your hearts. A thing in use among the primitive Christians. {b}

{a} Nempe ne miseri mortales in istorum mysteriorum usu in rebus terrestribus haereant, et obstupescant. - Bez. Confess.

{b} Sacerdos parat fratrum mentes, dicendo, Sursum corda. - Cyprian.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40:9-19 Joseph listened to the dreams and offered their interpretations. These dreams were not trivial; they were ominous warnings from God about what everyone was going to face. These two dreams prepared for Pharaoh’s two dreams, which revealed the periods of life and death that the nation would soon experience.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph,.... He listened to what Joseph said, and paid a regard to it, and began to think he might be able to interpret his dream, and therefore was forward, and the first to tell him it at once; whereas the chief baker did not seem disposed to do it, until he observed the good interpretation given of the butler's dream, Gen 40:16,

and said unto him, in my dream, behold, a vine was before me; it appeared to him in his dream, as if a vine sprung up at once, and stood before him; which was very suitable to his office as a butler, wine being the fruit of the vine, which he provided for the king his master, and presented to him at table.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

9. Behold, a vine — Notably the butler dreams of vines, and the baker of the food (Gen_40:17) he was wont to prepare for the king. “Herodotus denies the existence of vines in ancient Egypt, and says that the Egyptian wine was made of barley. 2:77. Yet Herodotus himself, (ii, 42, 48:144,) and Diodorus, (i, 11,) identify Osiris with the Greek Bacchus, the discoverer of the vine, and Diodorus (i, 15) expressly ascribes to Osiris the first cultivation of the vine. But it now appears from the monuments, that both the cultivation of grapes and the art of making wine were well known in Egypt from the time of the Pyramids.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 9-11. And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me literally, in my dream (sc. I was), and behold a vine (gephen, from the unused root gaphan, to be bent, a twig, hence a plant which has twigs, especially a vine; cf. (Jud_1:9:13; Isa_7:4 Isa_24:7) before me. The introduction of the vine into the narrative, which has been pronounced (Bohlen) an important factor in proof of its recent composition, since, according to Herodotus (ii. 77), the vine was not cultivated in Egypt, and, according to Plutarch ("De Is. et Osir.," 6), it was not till after Psammetichus, i.e. about the time of Josiah, that the Egyptians began to drink wine, has now by more accurate study been ascertained to be in exact accordance, not only with Biblical statements. (Num_20:5; Psa_78:47 Psa_105:33) but likewise with the testimony of Herodotus, who affirms (2:37) that wine (oinov ajmpelenov) was a privilege of the priestly order, and with the representations on the monuments of vines and grapes, and of the entire process of wine-making (vide Havernick"s "Introduction," Wilkinson"s "Ancient Egyptians," 1:379, et seqq. 430, 431, ed. 1878; Hengstenberg, "Egypt," p. 13; Rawlinson, "Hist. Illus.," p. 49; Thornley Smith, "Joseph and his Times," p. 58). And in the vine were three branches: sarigim, tendrils of a vine, from sarag, to intertwine; (ver. 12Joh_1:7) and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; literally, as it budded (Murphy); or, as though blossoming (Rosenm Keil, Kalisch); it shot forth its blossom (Keil); or, its blossoms shot forth (Rosenm Kalisch, Murphy)and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: more correctly, its stems caused to ripen, or matured, clusters, the lKova, being the stalk of a cluster, as distinguished from the or clusters themselves (Gesenius, "Lex.," p. 85), though interpreters generally (Kalisch, Keil, Murphy) regard the first as the unripe, and the second as the ripe, clusterand Pharaoh"s cup szOK, a receptacle or vessel, either contracted from Sg,ke, like vyai for vg,ae (Gesenius), or derived from aWK, to conceal, to receive, to keep, connected with the idea of bringing together, collecting into a thing (Furst)was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them ejxeqliya (LXX), expressi (Vulgate), a translation adopted by the most competent authorities (Gesenius, Furst, Rosenm Keil, Kalisch, et alii), though the sense of diluting with water is advocated by Dathe, Havernick ("Introd.," and others as the most appropriate signification of fjv; which occurs only here. That Pharaoh is represented as drinking the expressed juice of grapes is no proof that the Egyptians were not acquainted with fermentation, and did not drink fermented liquors. In numerous frescoes the process of fermentation is distinctly represented, and Herodotus testifies that though the use of grape wine was comparatively limited, the common people drank a wine made from barley: oinw d ejk kriqewn pepoihmenw (2:77) into Pharaoh"s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh"s hand literally, I placed the cup upon Pharaohs palm, pK, used of Jacob"s thigh-socket, (Gen_32:26) meaning something hollowed out.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The cup-bearer gave this account: "In my dream, behold there was a vine before me, and on the vine three branches; and it was as though blossoming, it shot forth its blossom (נצּהּ either from the hapax l. נץ = נצּה, or from נצּה with the fem. termination resolved into the 3 pers. suff.: Ewald, 257d), its clusters ripened into grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand." In this dream the office and duty of the royal cup-bearer were represented in an unmistakeable manner, though the particular details must not be so forced as to lead to the conclusion, that the kings of ancient Egypt drank only the fresh juice of the grape, and not fermented wine as well. The cultivation of the vine, and the making and drinking of wine, among the Egyptians, are established beyond question by ancient testimony and the earliest monuments, notwithstanding the statement of Herodotus (2, 77) to the contrary (see Hengstenberg, Egypt and the Books of Moses, pp. 13ff.).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

The Interpretation of the Dreams

v. 9. And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;

v. 10. and in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes;

v. 11. and Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. It was a very vivid dream, one in which events ordinarily of long duration were pressed together into the space of a few moments. The grapevine was before butler, its three branches grew, it seemed that the blossoms budded forth, that they ripened into berries, into grapes. And, the cup belonging to the king being in his hand, he immediately pressed out the grapes and offered the cup with the juice to the king, thus performing the work which he had always been doing.

v. 12. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days;

v. 13. yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. God revealed this interpretation to Joseph, and the latter told it in just that way. Pharaoh would lift up the head of the butler out of the disgrace of his imprisonment, have him fetched from prison, grant him the former prosperity and honor, and give him back his former office.

v. 14. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house;

v. 15. for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. Joseph’s plea may well be understood, when he asks the butler to keep him in favorable memory. He explains that he did not flee from his home country on account of some crime, but that he had been abducted by force. The expression shields his brothers, so far as their share in his present plight was concerned, and is altogether consistent, for Joseph undoubtedly informed the Ishmaelites that bought him of his station. He speaks with the same caution in referring to his imprisonment, merely stating that he was guilty of no crime which would have merited his being placed into this pit.

v. 16. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head, three baskets with white bread;

v. 17. and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bake-meats for Pharaoh, fine things to eat of bakery goods; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. In his eagerness to obtain a favorable interpretation for himself, the chief baker overlooked the significant difference in the end of the dream.

v. 18. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days;

v. 19. yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. In this one point there was the great distinction between the two dreams: it was not Pharaoh that took bread or fine pastry from the hand of the baker, but the birds seized upon his bakery-ware. He was to be put to death, hung upon a stake or gallows, and his flesh given to the birds of heaven to eat. Although the interpretation seems so simple, it is clear that God Himself here drew aside the veil of the future.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The chief of the cupbearers

The most important person who brings drinks to the king. See how you translated this in Genesis 40:2.

In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me

"In my dream, I saw a vine in front of me!" The cupbearer uses word "behold" here to show that he was surprised by what he saw in his dream and to alert Joseph to pay attention.

the clusters of grapes ripened

"its clusters ripened into grapes"

squeezed them

This means that he squeezed the juice out of them. AT: "squeezed the juice from them" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

dream

Joseph (OT)

vine

grape

Pharaoh

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

בחלומי, “I saw in my dream.”

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.